The Tacoma Towing Bible

Yeah, I remember this. I think I had it and maybe even talked to a dealer svc rep about what it was. And now, of course, I have almost no idea where I might have put it.

neverstuck, if you do wind up doing this could you post some pics?

The camera I was thinking of ordering has what appears to be RCA jacks (like an old cassette deck or turntable):

LED Backup Camera,Car Rear View Camera Waterproof High Definition 170 Degree Viewing Angle,Universal Mount (Front View/Rear View)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3V18YR30S6CQV

Wondering if that's what would be the most natural connection type, or even compatible.

 

That works. Just strip the wires and it's pretty easy to figure out. Since you are going the length of a trailer you may want to look into wireless camera options. I believe you would have to mount the receiver near the bumper but then you would not have to run cable the length of your trailer

 

I'll go buy a roll of wire with the money I save not getting a wireless one. The trailer is only 16' long, I can run and zip tie wires in 5 minutes or less. Just would prefer not to need to cut/splice the truck's wiring. I like the way the brake controller just plugged in. Hate to hack up vehicle wiring!

By the way, I used sticky velcro to try mounting my controller a number of places. Nothing worked. Knees bumped it all the time, drove me crazy. So I took maverick491's advice (post #6 in this thread) and spliced in some extra wire to route it under my driver's seat. The velcro that was already glued to it makes it stick to the carpet like it's bolted down. I can reach down and activate the manual lever as easily as I could if it was bumping my knee under the dash somewhere.

 

Quick question. All things being equal, better towing with 16" or 17" rims?

 

In theory, all else being equal, the TRD Sport will be better for towing than an Off-Road. The firmer, more damped suspension will allow for less lean in the corners, less squat under load and less nose dive under braking. The Sport has 17" rims and highway tires. A tire with a lower profile and a stiffer sidewall is better for towing, it will allow less sway. The qualities that make an all terrain tire good off road (large knobby tread with lots of big grooves and high flexible sidewall) are negatives when towing.

How much difference does it make in the real world? Hard to say. I'd guess that the suspension difference would be subtle but I'd bet the 17" wheels and highway tires do make a noticeable difference when towing. Probably not as drastic as changing from 235/65/17 snow tires to 265/40/18 summer tires on my Mustang GT, which completely changes the handling dynamics of the car, but still noticeable.

 

I have a 5 pin pigtail their with different colors... I have a v6 manual any ideas if it is the same?

 

the trailer brake controller connector is the same for automatic and stickshift tacos. I have an 08 6-speed. tenoksha will sell you a harness ($12.95 on Amazon) prewired to go from the Toyota plug under the far left dashboard to any Tenoksha brake controller that uses their modular plug, so its *easy*.


I came here wondering WHICH leveling hitch I want to get to tow a 16' Casita, which has a dry weight around 2200 lbs and a gross of 3500, with my TRD Offroad 6-speed that was pitching and bobbing rather uncomfortably all the way home with the trailer tonight. not a trace of side to side sway, just up/down pitch/bob, which I assume is fixed with weight distribution?

I would prefer the 'inexpensive' workable solution, not the 5% better for 5X the price solution....

 

Im getting ready to order my camper...2017 KZ Toy Hauler Model# E17FKTH but worried about how trailer will ride with no toy. http://www.kz-rv.com/products/spree-escape-travel-trailers/E17FKTH.html

I asked my dealer today what if on some trips I don't want to bring my motorcycle camping....Will I then have too much toungue weight and get more sway?

Dealer said with this small 17' trailer and the proper wd/anti sway setup I will be fine

He said some people buy toy haulers just because they have dogs and never even put a toy inside and never seen where its a problem

 

says right there on that page, the dry (empty) hitch weight is 390 lbs, and the UVW is 2380, so its only a bit tongue heavy when empty (20%?).

 

Nerd what did you mean when you said 20%? Sorry but im a little slow today lol

 

traditionally the target for a ball hitch towed trailer is to have 10-15% of the total trailer weight sitting on the tongue, and the other 85-90% on the trailers wheels. in this case, with that trailer completely empty, its more like 20% / 80%, but that's really no big deal since you're still nowhere near the max tongue weight for the tacoma, but for sure you'll want a weight distributing hitch especially if you have a TRD Off Road (I see you have a sport, thats actually a better tow choice since its got stiffer suspension and shorter sidewall tires than my OffRoad which sits on /tall/ 265/70-15 tires and soft long travel offroad suspension).

 

oh ok I see now...I do have yokohama ats tires...I have aftermarket wheels also but their specs are very close to stock size still being 17"

Does the ats tires effect towing at all? thanks

 

Good evening

Went through the whole thread and I still have some questions. I have a 2011 DC TRD sport with factory towing and a 6' bed. Thanks in advance.

1. Towing a 24' boat, with trailer it is 29'. Is there a max length?

2. Certified weight of trailer and boat is 5300 lbs. tongue weight is right at 500 lbs. Am I in the danger zone here?

3. Hooked up the trailer today for the first time. The rear sagged noticeably. What's the best remedy for this?

Desperately don't want to have to get a different truck.

 

How often do you tow? and how far?

No max length
How much extra gear do you carry? Is the "certified weight" with fuel and gear?

Look into air bags, great investment.

 

Airbags ^^^^

 

95 taco,

I would like to trailer pretty far if I can. I live in N. Florida and would like to take it to the keys. That's about 500 miles. The weight was with 1/2 tank full. A full tank would add another 450 lbs.

 

It shouldn't be an issue as long as you have trailer brakes and a trailer brake controller.
You won't get great fuel economy but it will tow it.

 

You definitely NEED a weight distributing hitch with that boat, and I would get one with cam sway control rather than friction sway control as your boats max weight is right up there near the tacos tow limits.

derate your trucks payload capacity by that tongue weight... my TRD Offroad Access Cab has a 1200 lb payload, so if you have 500 lbs tongue weight, thats 700 lbs left. 2 heavy folks and you better not have more than 200 lbs of gear on board the truck.

also, 5300 lb trailer, with only 500 lbs on the hitch is a little light in front. the usual target is 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the hitch. your additional 450 lbs for a full load of fuel brings you up to 5750 lbs.

make sure you get a GOOD brake controller, your trailer brakes are in GOOD shape, and that you adjust it correctly so the trailer brakes hard without locking up when you apply maximum brakes manually during the testing.

 

What is the best/ideal height range for the ball?
I just added about 3" of lift and will be rebuilding the hitch. Wondering what length drop to get.

 

ball height depends on the trailer.

with the truck and trailer level on level ground, the ball should be equal height or 1-2" lower than the trailer hitch, NEVER higher. if putting the trailer on the hitch causes the back of the truck to sink more than an inch or two, you really need a weight distributing hitch, like...

$299 EAZ LIFT Camco Eaz-Lift Elite 600lb Weight Distribution Hitch with Height Adjustable Forged Shank (48051)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024E6XBA...lid=3N337RW13S8G0&coliid=I2T4FJS6IUWICE&psc=1

this is especially true on a short wheel base tall vehicle like a TRD